Government Agents Seize Raw Dairy From Organic Food Co-op in Michigan

Dairy products of Nourish Cooperative in Marcellus, Michigan, on May 29, 2024. The co-op had products seized by local authorities on May 29. Courtesy of Brandon Embree

An organic farm co-op has been raided by government officials and had its raw dairy products seized, according to its founders.

Nourish Cooperative in Michigan claimed that its organic raw cheeses were forcibly taken by government agents on the afternoon of May 29 after four state employees, including a human food inspector and an animal food inspector, entered the private facility, according to co-founder Sarah Armstrong.

“They showed up with a letter claiming they had the right to seize our raw dairy products because they couldn’t verify where the cheese had been inspected, which didn’t make sense because we clearly had all the information they requested,” Mrs. Armstrong told The Epoch Times.

“We let them know that the raw cheese had been made with animal rennet and processed in a government facility and aged for 60 days, and had all the paperwork.

“We had done everything we were supposed to do, so we are all just confused,” she added.

A message on the Nourish Cooperative website touts its establishment as an alternative to large agro-industrial farming concerns.

“It’s no secret that the current food system isn’t serving our bodies, the land, or the animals. So we’re opting out and building something NEW… a food system without any secrets or hidden agendas, run by farmers who are incredibly passionate (obsessed) with food production, and deeply care about your health,” the co-op states.

The co-op, a Private Member Association based in Marcellus that ships its products to consumers across the United States, has yet to have a single complaint lodged against it, according to co-founder Ashley Armstrong. She added that the products are marketed for pets, and customers must first sign a disclosure that their purchase is not for human consumption.

However, what happens to the products once purchased is up to the individual. For some customers, the seizure of raw dairy has become problematic, according to Mrs. Ashley Armstrong.

“We serve a lot of moms who depend on us for the raw goat milk they feed to their infants,” said Mrs. Ashley Armstrong. “For these moms, it’s not just, ‘Oh, I can’t get milk,’ it’s, ‘Oh, my baby won’t get the nutrition they have depended on.’

“People are really frustrated,” she added.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, which licenses and inspects over 19,000 grocery and convenience stores, food processors, and food warehouses statewide, confirmed the seizure on June 4. The authority stated that the co-op failed to comply with regulations but did not specify the violations. The investigation is open and ongoing.

Other Small Farms Raided

For years, a belief has persisted among the independent farming community that government authorities have colluded with large corporate food producers to weed out the small farmers in an effort to create uniformity in the marketplace and decrease competition.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told The Epoch Times that a corrupt alliance between “Big Ag” and Department of Agriculture rule-makers had created a monopoly that has led small, independent farmers to the brink of extinction.

“The deck is definitely stacked,” Mr. Massie previously told the publication. “Eighty-five percent of meat comes from four companies, and this monopoly exists as a result of government regulatory policy. There is an incestuous relationship between these large companies and the Department of Agriculture.”

In January, the alleged failures to adhere to the government’s regulatory policy led to Miller’s Organic Farm, a popular Amish farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, being the subject of an armed raid by officials on suspicion of selling “illegal milk,” among other products. The Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture filed the lawsuit on April 9 against the farm’s owner, Amos Miller, alleging that he had violated Pennsylvania’s Milk Sanitation Law by operating without government-mandated permits.

The farm had initially been ordered to halt all sales of its raw dairy products until a court ruling on April 12 permitted Mr. Miller to sell his goods anywhere in the world except in the state where he resides.

In March, a co-op director in Missouri claimed he was arrested for questioning the authority of inspection agents to enter a private, non-commercial food club.

New Melle Food Co-op Director Wyatt Gober said he was arrested and charged with contempt during a March 19 court appearance in which he asked for clarification on the rules allowing inspectors from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to enter the private establishment.

“I never told these agents that they couldn’t enter the co-op,” Mr. Gober previously told The Epoch Times. “But since this was a private place that was for members only, I felt I was obligated to ask for clarification on what they were doing.

“I wasn’t seeking any type of conflict. All I was doing was trying to understand what was going on,” he added.

‘We Are Still Hopeful’

The founders of the Nourish Cooperative say they are also hoping for a peaceful resolution and that the response from both customers and the independent farming community to the hardship resulting from the state’s seizure has helped ease some of the burden, according to Mrs. Sarah Armstrong.

“All of us are first-generation farmers who came to farming for health reasons. We are trying to create something that is sustainable,” she said.

“Dairy farmers are going out of business left and right. It’s a very challenging place to be in. They aren’t able to support the cost of the farm,” she pointed out.

However, if they hope to survive as a viable business, they need their food returned—and quickly.

“We are still hopeful it can be lifted and that we can be able to resume cheese sales this week,” said Mrs. Sarah Armstrong, who added that they are working with the agency in hopes of receiving clarification on what rule had been violated.

“If everything has to be thrown away, it would definitely put a huge dent in our business as well as place a burden on the farmers who depend on us,” she added.